One Person’s Junk is Treasure for Loaves, Fishes & Computers

Your expired computer equipment might be no longer useful to you or your business, but to our volunteers and community, it is a golden opportunity to improve local lives right here in Monterey County, one computer at a time.

Our Salinas-based nonprofit, Loaves, Fishes & Computers (LFC) provides low-cost or no-cost computers and computer repair to our community’s most vulnerable/low-income population while giving volunteers of all backgrounds and skillsets the opportunity to learn, share and grow in the field of Information Technology.

Each computer that LFC provides serves an average of 4.2 people in a household.

Each LFC volunteer averages 87 hours of community service and gets hands-on IT experience.

LFC happily accepts desktops, laptops, flat screens, and tablets. Computers should be ~ 6 years or newer. We can pick up bulk donations that have a high concentration of reusable equipment. It’s okay if you have equipment that may not be reusable (or you are not sure). We will still pick it up – all we ask is a small donation! It’s a great way to properly handle your computer equipment and support your community at the same time. We will provide documentation of your donation that will likely qualify for a tax deduction. All equipment we cannot reuse is donated to a local nonprofit that generates earned income from that e-waste by selling it to a certified and responsible downstream collector. And of course, you’re welcome to drop off donations to Loaves, Fishes & Computers at 938 South Main Street, right next to Joy Per’s Shoes.

LFC is a Microsoft Registered Refurbisher, therefore, we take protecting data on donated computers very seriously: All hard drives are securely locked up and either erased per a DOD 3-pass wipe or crushed.

When computer equipment is donated to LFC, it gives computers a second life and provides a life improvement tool for local Monterey County families. It saves environmental resources by putting refurbished computers back into use. It gives our volunteers, from 8-80 years old, a platform to explore and gives them a sense of purpose knowing they will affect a family’s life for many years. Also, it’s a chance for our volunteers to get away from the couch, the video games, the streets, or boredom and find a safe place to be around other like-minded people who share knowledge, encourage others, and geek out.

We’re looking to stock up on computers for some exciting future plans to get more computers to more people by bringing our computer lab on the road to where people and kids already congregate (nonprofits, schools and community centers) and having them refurbishing computers they can possibly bring home to their own family. This is part of our transformation to LFC 2.0. LFC 2.0 will provide lots of exciting opportunities and innovations and the future is bright.

It takes a village…

We are hunting for more than just equipment! LFC is looking for skilled IT professionals to volunteer time with our less experienced volunteers for about 3+ hours/week. I encourage you, dear reader, to find the time to visit us and witness the activity and buzz between our walls. If you do not have any equipment or time right now, you can still help us fulfill our mission by making a financial contribution to an award winning, direct service non-profit in your community.

If you’re interested, call our office (831-393-9260) or my mobile (831-291-3580) and ask for me. I’ll be happy to answer any and all of your questions.